There’s no excuse for being bored today because there are two great FREE events in Brighton.

First off, the Edgewood Free Methodist Church is hosting a free Easter Egg Hunt. It takes place at the church on 250 Edgewood Avenue at 10am and is open to kids up through age 11. We went to this last year and the kids had a lot of fun. In addition to the egg hunt, there will be games, prizes, and refreshements. For more information, call 585-244-9200.

The second event is the 3rd annual “Day of Brass” Festival Concert at the University of Rochester Alumni and Advancement Center at 300 East River Road (formally St. Agnes School). The concert is hosted by the U of R College Music Department. It’s an all-day event from 9am-4pm and culminates with a free 3pm concert featuring a festival brass ensemble comprised of guests from the Greater Rochester community mixed with U of R undergraduates, and a special appearance by the Smugtown Stompers Traditional Dixieland jazz band. The University of Rochester Stingers Trombone Ensemble will also be featured in this final performance.

Earlier in the day, nearly 100 local brass musicians—high schoolers, college students, and adult players alike—will participate in free workshops on topics as varied as the Swiss alphorn tradition and orchestral low brass performance (full schedule listed below). The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s Low Brass Section, led by principal trombonist Mark Kellogg, will highlight this portion of the day.

Day of Brass Schedule
9:00am arrival and warm-ups
9:30am The Alphorn– It’s History and Music with the legendary Glenn Call!
10:30am festival group rehearsal
11:30am Rochester Philharmonic Low Brass Section workshop/performance, led by Principal Trombonist Mark Kellogg!
12:30pm LUNCH
1:15pm “Everything you need to know to play everything”– approaches to classical/jazz/commercial brass playing, featuring versatile brass musician
Jeff Stockham!
2:15pm warm-ups
3:00pm Final Concert with the Smugtown Stompers traditional Dixieland jazz band, who will trace the development of early “jass” from the brass band tradition in New Orleans to Dixieland and related styles.

The Rochester community is invited to enjoy the sounds of this exciting event—the concert is completely free and open to the public, and no tickets are required.

Today (Thursday, March 29th), the town of Brighton will host an Information Open House on Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. The meeting is a result of a $68,500 grant the town has received from the Genesee Transportation Council’s Unified Planning Work Program to develop a Brighton Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan. Residents are encouraged to come to the open house where they will be able to talk with the Task Force members and the project consultants, learn about the results of early data collection, and share ideas and concerns about improving bicycle and pedestrian facilities throughout the town. The meeting will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Brighton Town Hall.

Additional information is available on the project website at www.BikeWalkBrighton.org, or by calling the Town of Brighton at 784-5250.

Water scarcity is the result of environmental, political, economic and social forces. According to a National Geographic Society Freshwater Initiative, just one percent of the freshwater on our planet is easily accessible, with much of it trapped in glaciers and snowfields. In essence, only 0.007 percent of the planet’s water is available to 6.8 billion people.

We need water to survive. The human body is 60 percent water. Seventy percent of the world is covered by water, but only 2.5 percent of it is fresh. The rest is saline or ocean water.

Water is essential for producing food. Upstate New York has lots of freshwater but how clean is it and how can it remain a clean resource to be used for drinking, cooking, bathing and sustaining the environment?

How can we be sure that the water we’re consuming is clean, safe and free from harmful chemicals and microtoxins? I don’t think we can be sure.

The final lecture of ColorBrightonGreen.org’s Fall/Winter Speaker Series features three local water quality experts who’ll discuss the condition of our local water supply on Tuesday, March 27th at 6:30 pm at the Brighton Memorial Library. Topics will range from the chemistry of surface water in Brighton’s streams and creeks and the quality of drinking water here to the quality of source water in the region’s lakes and rivers.

Charles Knauf from the Monroe County Department of Public Health, will discuss data on local waterways and the quality of Lake Ontario beaches. Jim Nugent from the Monroe County Water Authority, will present data on our drinking water and Paul Sawyko from the Water Education Collaborative will tell us what’s being done to organize government and citizens to improve surface water quality. Sawyko will also discuss Brighton’s Buckland Creek Restoration Project.

The quality of the water we drink impacts our health. Gets the facts. It’s your right, some might say, your responsibility to know about the sources of our drinking water; its quality, how it’s treated and about what you can do to ensure a safer, cleaner supply of water in the future.

It took more than fifty years of advocacy by neighbors and friends to make Corbett’s Glen in Brighton a public park.

In 1950, when Dennis Adams’ father-in-law, Roy Beers (Leroy F. Beers), first began to advocate for Corbett’s Glen, the 17.6 acre parcel was owned by the Corbett family who farmed the land.

Roy passed away in 1962 and it was Garrett Stam who took the helm promoting Corbett’s Glen as a public park. Dennis Adams carried on his father-in-law’s dream to make the park public with Stam and their neighbors. Today, Adams serves as Chairman of Brighton’s Conservation Board. He’s been on the board for over ten years.

It was 1963 when Adams married Roy Beers’ daughter, Ellen. Adams bought Beers family home in 1963 at the entrance to Corbett’s Glen. “There was a lot of sentiment for Corbett’s Glen in the neighborhood,” says Adams. “Some time later, our youngest daughter bought the Beers family home from us. We loved the area, so we built a house next door. Our daughter, Alyce, took an interest in the park and began advocating for the park to go public.”

Over the next thirty-five years, several groups formed to promote the Glen–Friends of Ahskwa Sanctuary, Allens Creek/Corbett’s Glen Preservation Group and Glen Road neighbors.

Jean Baric was a driving force for the Glen, according to Adams, who is quick to note that many people were involved in promoting the park project.

In 1999, a $50,000 grant from the Genesee Land Trust finally allowed the Town of Brighton to purchase the land where Corbett’s Glen now sits. “There was a lot of momentum to make the park public, we just needed that final push which came in the form of a grant,” notes Adams.

According to Adams, what makes the Glen so unique is the amount of water in the park and how water there changes height so quickly. “There are three waterfalls in a relatively small area and a wide variety of terrain,” says Adams. Oddly, when the park went public, most of the wildlife relocated. Today, Corbett’s Glen features familiar wildlife and countless varieties of birds and vegetation.

Adams says the Glen has become such a popular stop that parking needs to be expanded. A parking area south of Corbett’s Glen and possibly a pedestrian bridge are dreams for the future.

Adams admits to being an environmental activist but qualifies the title, “I keep things pretty low-key. By seeking common ground–if, at all possible–plans can move ahead more easily. I like to work at the local level. It’s gratifying to see results close to home. On the national level, results require a lot of people, and it can feel more like pushing over a wall.”

Dennis Adams was appointed to the Brighton Conservation Board in 2001 and became a spokesperson for Citizens for Brighton Parks. Citizens for Brighton Parks formed in 2001 to promote Brighton’s bond issue for the purchase of additional parkland.

In 2008 and 2009, Adams served on the Executive Committee of the Brighton Conservation Task Force. He focused on how the Town of Brighton could conserve energy while pursing legislation to improve the town’s conservation efforts. He looked into how Brighton could better communicate with residents and business to improve conservation.

Adams has been instrumental in expanding parkland in Brighton. The town now owns over 300 acres of parkland.

The town of Brighton has seventy-three radio towers so I thought I’d find out more about the guidelines for safe exposure and safe proximity to low-frequency radio waves or electromagnetic fields (EMFs).

I asked Kenneth R. Foster, noted professor of bio-medical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania recently about the health and environmental impact of radio towers and the low-frequency non-ionizing radiation they emit. Foster teaches and writes extensively on the ethics of technology. He is a former president of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers’ (IEEE) Society of Social Implications of Technology.

My questions stemmed from a review I’d read online published in 1999 by the Royal Society of Canada which compiled and assessed several studies. Foster discussed this review and other studies to compare their findings. He spoke candidly about the state of regulatory standards and the limitations of testing.

There is only one known hazard to low-frequency non-ionizing radiation according to Foster and that is “thermal heating” or excessive heating of body tissue, which, he says, “…is not a concern for the low levels of radiation that are emitted from a cell tower base station (site of multiple radio towers).” Close, occupational exposure can raise body temperature enough to heat up cells.

Some of the non-thermal health concerns reviewed by the 1999 Royal Society summary can raise eyebrows. Included are DNA damage, chromosomal changes, increased cell proliferation, changes in calcium and melatonin levels, cell membrane effects and greater permeability of the Blood Brain Barrier. The Canadian report concluded, “Because of the low field strengths associated with public exposure to RF fields from wireless telecommunications base station transmitters, neither biological nor adverse health effects are likely to occur.”

While current proof of non-thermal health hazards from a base station is minimal, I was surprised to learn from Foster that limited studies have been done on humans to date, and fewer on children. Studies have been conducted in the lab on animals. Many researchers extrapolate from that research alone, that constant low-frequency radiation in a residential neighborhood is safe for its residents.

“Few studies have investigated general health effects in individuals exposed to RF fields from base stations. This is because of the difficulty in distinguishing possible health effects from the very low signals emitted by base stations from other higher strength RF signals in the environment. Most studies have focused on the RF exposures of mobile phone users,” says Foster.

Apparently, we have so much daily exposure to cell phone radiation, home electronics and medical testing (MRI’s) that it would be too difficult to isolate the exposure from a base station, say, next door to your home, or adjacent to a school. And exposure is cumulative.

So if you live in the center of several base stations, for example, the exposure is compounded. Luckily, according to Foster, low frequency non-ionizing radiation from radio towers falls off quickly. Cell towers are fully digital with signals that are pulse-modulated. I learned that the strength of an RF field is greatest at its source and diminishes quickly with distance.

I asked Foster about who sets safety guidelines for exposure. The FCC relies upon the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), an independent scientific organization to develop guidelines for limits on exposure. The National Council on Radiation and Measurements also provides data to set guidelines for exposure. The FCC then regulates emissions to meet these standards.

Broadcast towers, like the base station at Pinnacle Hill, operate over a range of RF frequencies typically at far higher power levels than cell tower base stations. Exposure levels may be more or less depending upon the distance of the antenna from an individual, the height of the antenna and other factors.

High frequency fields, part of the electromagnetic spectrum between low frequency and the optical part of the spectrum is what’s used for broadcasting and telecommunications. They provide more exposure to non-ionizing radiation than cell phone towers but are still strictly regulated by FCC guidelines.

William P. Johnson, professor of Electrical Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology, says that broadcast towers like those at Pinnacle Hill “throw lots of power in one direction, in order to transmit a signal.”

A 2009 review by the International Commission of Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) assessed higher frequency non-ionizing radiation, mostly from exposures between 100kHz-300kHz–lower exposure than an average cell phone–but within the range of broadcast towers.

Studies within this review found a change in the formation and arrangement of cells at 100MHz exposure. Polar molecules such as water and other cellular components translated and rotated in response to electrical fields. “Cells would rearrange and form chains along the direction of the field.”

Also noted were acoustic effects. The ICNIRP Review explains that a rapid rise in temperature launches an acoustic wave of pressure that travels to the cochlea (structure in the ear), detected by hair cells (inside the ear) and relayed to the central auditory system for perception. A single microwave pulse can be perceived as an acoustic click or knocking sounds, and a train of microwave pulses to the head can be sensed as a buzz or an audible tune.

The ICNIRP Review also cites changes in cell-signaling, among other changes, as a result of exposure at 900 MHz in mice who showed a two-fold increase in Lymphoma at this level. Also at 900 Mhz, a significant decrease in Serum TSH, T3 and T4–thyroid indicators.

When asked about the possibility of cancer clusters around broadcast towers, Foster confides, the exposure assessment is “very murky around broadcast towers due to the number of variables involved. Studies on cancer clusters around these sites have been inconclusive.”

By comparison, Foster adds that, “The exposure level for someone holding a cell phone to their ear is much higher than the radiation they would receive from a cell tower because of the phone’s proximity to the body.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) cites no hazards from low-frequency non-ionizing exposure but Foster warns, “No known hazards have been identified but we don’t know everything and can’t.” He remains skeptical that any health hazards will be demonstrated from low exposure levels of RF energy within the current guidelines but admits that human knowledge is necessarily incomplete and no one can predict what may be learned in the future.

The 2009 ICNIRP Review concluded,”Results of epidemiological studies to date give no consistent or convincing evidence of a causal relation between radio frequency exposure and any adverse health effect. On the other hand, these studies have too many deficiencies to rule out an association. …Although the likelihood is low that fields emanating from base stations would create a health hazard, because of their weakness, the possibility is nevertheless a concern for many people. To date, no acceptable study on any outcome has been published on this. On the one hand, results from valid studies would be of value in relation to a social concern; on the other hand, it would be difficult to design and conduct a valid study. …”

Scientific evidence on the distribution of cancer in the population can be obtained through carefully planned and executed epidemiological studies. Foster tells me, that over the past 15 years, studies examining a potential relationship between RF transmitters and cancer have been published. “These studies have not provided evidence that RF exposure from transmitters increases the risk of cancer. Likewise, long-term animal studies have not established an increased risk of cancer from exposure to RF fields even at levels that are much higher than produced by base stations and wireless networks.”

Foster says the possible health effects of RF energy is a subject of intense investigation and exposure limits are constantly being re-evaluated. He also points out that more rigorous epidemiology studies involving human exposure to RF energy are in the works, including those related to the use of cell phones by children.

With so much that is unknown, and with our exposures increasing every day, from cell phone use and a need for more base sites to accommodate a growing population of cell phone users, isn’t it time to review current guidelines, begin more rigorous testing, and, at the very least, admit that we simply don’t know the long-term effects of the levels of exposure we are getting?

If cancer clusters appear in neighborhoods close to broadcast towers, or in residents in close proximity to radio and cell towers, rather than assuming there is no connection, shouldn’t we be proactive and look further?

I am not convinced from talking to Kenneth Foster and others that all the facts are in on exposure to low-frequency, non-ionizing radiation, nor am I convinced that the guidelines set for exposure to these electromagnetic fields will safely take us into the future.

We need to explore the genotoxic potential of combining RF exposure with chemical mutagens and ionizing radiation. It’s time to consider the tipping point of prolonged and combined exposures to all forms of radiation.

For reviews by Kenneth Foster of books on EMF exposure and related topics, visit www.spectrum.ieee.com.

With Brighton Baseball’s Opening Day just around the corner, kids have one more chance to get in on the FREE clinics being held each Saturday at Turfttime, an indoor baseball facility on Monroe Avenue in Pittsford.

My son has been attending the Saturday clinics since late January and it’s been a great experience. Relying mostly on parents to help out, the kids run through several skills drills like throwing, catching ground balls, and pop flies. They are gaining confidence in the game of baseball and making new friends at the same time. And in my opinion, it’s wonderful to see so many parents coming together to put on a great program for the kids.

The clinics are open (and free) to any child registered for the 2012 season, but this Saturday is the last clinic before player evaluations and Opening Day. See this website for more information.

Contributors

is a stay-at-home mother of two young children ages 3 and 1, but she hardly ever 'stays at home.' "In fact, I find that title kind of ironic," Lauri says, "because stay-at-home moms are probably the most active people in the world!"
For nearly seven years, she and her husband, Ryan, have lived in Brighton's Evans Farm neighborhood, where she is currently president of the neighborhood association. A graduate of Syracuse University, Lauri formerly worked as a news producer for WROC-TV and in the nonprofit industry at Heritage Christian Services. She does freelance writing, grant writing and considers herself a professional bargain hunter. Lauri enjoys living in Brighton for its convenient location, wonderful schools and friendly people.
"I hope to use this blog to help spread the word about the abundance of resources and opportunities that Brighton has to offer, especially for families with young children." If you have a blog idea you'd like to share, "please e-mail me at lbonnell@gmail.com."

Freelance writer/editor Ruth E. Thaler-Carter is a Rochester native who attended School 49 and graduated from Brighton High School. She spent seven years in St. Louis, eight in D.C. and 13 in Baltimore crafting a successful career in communications before returning home because “my wacky steelworker husband wanted to retire here ever since we were married here.” She teaches at Writers and Books; handles publicity for the Brighton Schools Alumni Association; leads the Rochester chapters of the Editorial Freelancers Association and Association for Women in Communications; belongs to the Rochester Friends Meeting; and is known for keeping her friends connected. Reach her at Ruth@writerruth.com.